MALA INFLUENCIA/ BAD INFLUENCE

Spain, 2025, 104 minutes, Colour.

Alberto Olmo, Elea Rochera, Enriqie Arce, Mirela Balic, Sara Arino,Farid Bechara, Fernando Fraga,.

Directed by Chloe Wallace.

At the centre of Bad Influence teenagers, central character girl, Rhys, still at school, studying ballet, seemingly victim of a stalker and attempts to injure her. In the background are her best friends and various people from school, including a rather demanding boyfriend.

In fact, this film is based on an online novel on Wattpad which, according to publicity, has been read online by 51 million readers. Which means then that the film is geared towards this audience and readers.

Reese’s wealthy, a businessman father, absent mother. She is studying ballet and has a talent. Her father, concerned, organises a bodyguard for her, Ross, four years older. He has a background of juvenile delinquency, in an extra two and, friendly with two other rather forceful characters, Payton and Diego, who are working to get one of their friends out of detention and to set him up comfortably with them.

The father has forbidden the bodyguard to have any emotional relationship with his daughter – but, with the progress of the film, with various emotional ups and downs, this is, of course, what happens. There is the jealousy of the now ex-boyfriend. And Payton and Diego are particularly free in this style, their behaviour at student’s party, getting as much food as they can, especially for Payton, and Diego attracting Reese’s girlfriend.

The film builds up some kind of suspense, the mystery of the stalker, the ambiguous behaviour of the father, his business deals and absences, and the revelation that he knew a Ross when he was young and there is some kind of connection.

Not a film of great interest to an adult audience but opening up this kind of melodrama to the teen audience.